Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
by Alatariel1
Summary: My thoughts on what may happen in the next book. Please read and review
1. Privet Drive

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix Chapter 1  
  
All along Privet Drive, windows were shut and darkened, the curtains having been drawn hours before. The clouds obscured the light from the moon, giving the street an eerie feeling of a deserted town. But at Number 4, a light burned from an upstairs window, which made an odd glow in the foggy night.  
  
Harry Potter stretched and rubbed his eyes. He had been working on homework for the last three hours, and had decided to take a break. He looked over at the clock on the bedside table, which read 11:50. "I'll be 15 years old in ten minutes," he thought. It was unusual how little Harry looked forward to his birthday. His only living relatives, the Dursleys, had done their best to pretend that Harry didn't exist. Harry sighed. What he wanted more than anything was to be normal - to look forward to birthdays and live in a home where he wouldn't be treated as some sort of slug.  
  
But the simple fact is that Harry Potter is not a normal boy. Everything about him is unusual. He is small and skinny with black hair that grows in every direction and green eyes that shine from behind his glasses. But perhaps most unusual thing about Harry is that he happens to also be a wizard. Uncle Vernon, Aunt Petunia and his cousin Dudley, Muggles who had not a drop of magical blood in their veins, lived in constant terror that someone would discover their secret, and tried very hard for ten years to keep Harry as downtrodden as possible to squash the magic out of him. But it hadn't work. He had just completed his fourth year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, and was perhaps the most well known person in the wizarding world.  
  
Harry brushed his hair off of his forehead, revealing a small white scar shaped like a lightening bolt. It was the scar that was most of the reason that Harry was so well known. Fourteen years ago, when he was only a year old, a Dark wizard by the name of Lord Voldemort came to the house where Harry lived with his parents. There Lord Voldemort murdered Harry's parents and then turned his wand on Harry. But the curse, which had disposed of many fully-grown witches and wizards, failed to kill the small boy, and rebounded on its originator. Weak and deprived of power, Lord Voldemort fled. But the previous year, Lord Voldemort returned, to which Harry shuddered to remember.  
  
It had only been a few months since they had last met, but Harry still remembered it well. Wormtail, a servant of Voldemort, had performed a spell of Voldemort's invention, and brought him back to his former body and strength. Harry sighed. He knew Voldemort was still looking for him, infuriated that Harry had managed to escape his grasp yet again.  
  
He looked down at the homework which he had been working on, a rather boring essay for History of Magic, on the history of the Ministry of Magic. He had a sense of longing as he looked at it. He missed Hogwarts, the castle and all of its secret passages, Quidditch (the sport of the wizarding world, which Harry thought was the best game in the world), even his teachers, though not Professor Snape. The Potions professor was Harry's least favorite teacher. Harry's hatred of Professor Snape was matched only by Professor Snape's hatred of Harry. But Professor Snape was the least on Harry's mind at the moment. What he missed more than anything were his friends.  
  
He strode across the room to the window. To his right, a cage stood empty. His snowy owl, Hedwig, had gone on a hunting trip a few nights before and hadn't returned yet. Harry gazed absentmindedly out of the window. He thought of his best friend, Ron Weasley. Ron is tall and gangling, with fiery red hair and freckles. He had been in touch with Ron, and hoped to stay with him later in the summer. Harry had also been in contact with his other best friend, Hermione Granger. Hermione is a witch with loads of bushing brown hair and is the top student in their class. Even as Harry thought about his best friends, he saw a different face in his mind. Cho Chang is a pretty sixth year, the Seeker on the Ravenclaw Quidditch team, the same position that Harry held on the Gryffindor team. He wondered what she was doing, and hoped that she was safe, wherever she was. His stomach gave a funny little flop when he thought of her.  
  
While Harry was still gazing absentmindedly out of the window, he became aware of eyes, like someone was watching him. He shook himself and looked around the ground. He couldn't see anything at first, but the clouds across the moon thinned slightly, and he thought he saw movement at the corner of the hedge. He hurried to turn off the light so that he could see better and rushed back to the window.  
  
He couldn't see anything at first, but then - "Sirius!" he hissed softly. Underneath his window sat a shaggy black dog with matted hair and glowing yellow eyes. It wagged its tail at the sight of Harry. Harry rushed to his bed and pulled his trunk from under the bed, searching frantically for his Firebolt, his beloved broomstick. Locating it, he ran back to the window. He looked around carefully to see if anyone was watching and on and flew out of the window to the ground, where the dog had transformed into his godfather.  
  
"Sirius!" Harry said, gaping open-mouthed at the man who stood before him. "What are you doing here?" he exclaimed as soon as he found his voice again.  
  
Sirius grinned down at him. "Well, it is your birthday isn't it? I'm fulfilling my duty as a godfather. I wanted to be here."  
  
"But you shouldn't be here! What if someone sees you? I thought you were at Professor Lupin's!" Professor Lupin had been Harry's Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher in his third year.  
  
"Don't you worry about that - we all have other things to worry about these days." Sirius replied, looking grave. Then his face brightened. "I've brought you something."  
  
Harry didn't know what to feel. He was shocked that his godfather had risked his life to come see him, but at the same time it felt good to have someone to talk to. He took the package from him and opened it. It was a book. Harry flipped through it quickly but couldn't find anything in it.  
  
Harry gave a puzzled look to Sirius. "What is it?" he asked.  
  
Sirius smiled. "It's a photo album. I thought you might be able to fill it up with pictures of your friends. It'll give you something positive to do - and keep you out of trouble." He gave Harry a rather stern look.  
  
"I don't good looking for trouble you know," Harry said, a little irritated. "Trouble finds me on its own." This was only partly true. Harry, Hermione and Ron had spent more time wandering the school at night than any other student at the school, except perhaps Fred and George, Ron's twin older brothers.  
  
"Even so, I thought you might like it." Sirius said.  
  
"I do!" Harry said quickly. He meant it. He could think of lots of things he wanted to get pictures of. Cho's face floated across his mind again.  
  
Turning slightly red, he looked at Sirius again. "How long are you going to stay here?" he asked.  
  
"I can't stay long - I have some things I need to see to, but I wanted to make sure to be here for your birthday."  
  
Harry felt a rush of gratitude and anguish at the same time. He was grateful that Sirius had come, but he didn't want him to leave.  
  
"Where are you going?" he asked.  
  
"I can't tell you that just yet."  
  
"Does this anything to do with Voldemort?"  
  
Sirius raised an eyebrow. "You don't need to be worried about Voldemort. Whatever he is up to, it is best if you keep out of it. You have a lot of people working to keep you safe, and there's no need to jeopardize that."  
  
Harry felt embarrassed. "Sorry," he mumbled quietly. "I know better than to go looking for trouble" he added, more emphatically.  
  
"Is there anything I can get you before you go?" Harry asked, knowing that it was likely to get him in trouble with the Dursleys.  
  
"No, I need to be off soon. Besides, I don't think you need any more trouble from the Muggles. If you need me for anything, you can still send me owls at Professor Lupin's. I won't be gone too long. Oh, and happy birthday Harry." Harry glanced down at his watch. It read 12:03. "Thanks Sirius." He grinned at Sirius, who had just transformed back into a black shaggy dog. "Be careful." He added, looking grim. Sirius wagged his tail once to show that he had heard, and trotted off along the hedge. Harry watched him until his tail disappeared into the shadows around the side of the house. He sighed and looked around again carefully in case anyone happened to be looking out of a window. Seeing nothing he hopped onto the Firebolt and flew back to his second story window.  
  
He couldn't help but think about all that had happened since his last birthday - an imposter had attacked the famous Auror Mad-Eye Moody, and had come to Hogwarts in his place while the real Mad-Eye Moody laid imprisioned in his own trunk. The imposter had entered him into the Triwizard Tournament. The Tournament featured three students from each of the three major schools in Europe - Hogwarts, Beauxbatons, and Durmstrang. Harry's name was added under a fourth school, making him the fourth champion to compete. A shudder ran through Harry as he thought about it.  
  
On the last task, Harry and the other Hogwarts champion, Cedric Diggory, Captain and Seeker of the Hufflepuff House Quidditch team reached the end of the task at the same time. They had decided to take the Triwizard Cup together, making it a tie for the Tournament, but still a Hogwarts victory. Instead, the cup had been changed into a Portkey, and it took them to a graveyard hundreds of miles away. Cedric had been killed. Harry had been forced to attend a "rebirthing" ceremony for Voldemort. And now he was back. Somehow things managed to stay relatively quiet so far. But then again, living with the Dursleys meant that Harry was cut off from the rest of the wizarding world, and didn't really know what was going on.  
  
He sighed again as he put his Firebolt away. He looked up just in time to see an owl fly into his open window. It was his own snowy female, Hedwig. She had a small package tied to her leg, along with a letter in neat handwriting on the top he immediately recognized as Hermione's. After he had relieved her of her burden, Hedwig floated across the room to her cage, where she settled down to sleep.  
  
Harry tore open the package to find a camera. Slightly confused, he opened the letter.  
  
Harry, I hope you got Sirius's present. He told me what he was getting you, so I thought this might be useful as well. I got a letter from Hogwarts this week. I've been made prefect! I haven't told Ron yet. I've also been getting the Daily Prophet delivered. I haven't seen anything in it about You-Know-Who.  
  
Sirius, Professor Lupin, and Professor Dumbledore were the only ones Harry had ever heard use Voldemort's name. All other wizards flinched at the sound of the name, and generally avoided saying it. He continued reading.  
  
I do hope you're alright. I'm on holiday in Bulgaria right now, but I'll be in Diagon Alley the last week of August. Any chance of seeing you there? Please be careful! All the best, Hermione  
  
Harry grinned at the note. He wondered if Ron knew that Hermione was in Bulgaria. The Durmstrang champion of the Triwizard Tournament, Viktor Krum, was also a well known Quidditch player, having been the Seeker for Bulgaria's national team in last year's World Cup. He also happened to be very smitten with Hermione. She must be visiting him there, he thought.  
  
And she's been made a prefect! Harry didn't know how that would affect their friendships. Harry, Ron, and Hermione always seemed to be out of bed for some reason. If she was made prefect. But she hadn't told on them so far, so that couldn't be bad, right? He wondered what Ron would have to say about it.  
  
Just then, a tiny little owl zoomed in through the open window, with a small package for Harry. It was Ron's owl, Pigwidgeon, commonly known as Pig. He zoomed around the room, twittering madly in delight. Harry snatched him out of the air, hoping that the noise hadn't wakened the sleeping Dursleys. Hedwig clicked her beak in annoyance. She genuinely disapproved of such behavior from a post owl. Harry listened intently to be sure that his cousin Dudley was still snoring away in the next room before he loosened the package on the minute owl's leg and released him back out of the window.  
  
Harry, Alright there? I hope the Muggles aren't treating you too bad. I'm afraid that I'll have to give you your birthday present the next time I see you. Pig's too small to carry the package, and Errol would never make it.  
  
(Errol was the Weasley family's ancient owl, who often collapsed on deliveries)  
  
I've enclosed something you might enjoy before then anyway. Hermione says she's on holiday in Bulgaria. I wonder if she's there to see Krum. Do you know? I think Mum's going to ask Dumbledore if you can stay with us soon. I'll let you know something soon. Happy Birthday! Ron  
  
Harry was curious now. What could be so big that Pig couldn't carry? Well, most anything, he thought. But what about Errol? Did that mean that he was getting so feeble that he couldn't carry anything more than normal post anymore? Harry supposed that he would just have to wait.  
  
Another three more owls swooped into the room. Harry looked at them in amazement. He'd never been so popular before. Where did all of these owls come from? There was a big package tied to the largest of the lot, a big barn owl. It was some homemade rock cakes and fudge from Hagrid. Harry had too much experience with Hagrid's cooking to be overly thrilled at this, but it was still nice of him anyway.  
  
But who were the other two cards from? He opened the first card, and the mystery was solved. It was from Fleur Delacour, the Beauxbatons champion from last year's Triwizard Tournament. She indicated that she would be at Hogwarts in the fall, although she didn't say what she was going to be doing. The second card was from Viktor Krum. Harry was rather surprised. He hadn't been particularly close to either of the other champions, but it was good to hear from them all the same. They were all on the same side now, after all.  
  
Harry looked at the clock again. It was after one o'clock in the morning. Harry figured that anything else could wait until morning. He set all of his cards on the bedside table. He took off his glasses and climbed into bed. He turned to face his birthday cards and smiled, for once feeling very normal as he drifted off to sleep. 


	2. Ron's Invitation

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix Chapter 2  
  
The week following Harry's birthday went by slowly but was in no way boring. Dudley was now required to go on an exercise program along with his diet. Dudley was so large that he had broken the exercise bike the first time he gotten on it at the beginning of the summer. He was in such a foul mood with having to exercise and being on a diet that he left Harry alone for a change. Uncle Vernon wasn't quite as nice.  
  
"You need a job!" He barked over his morning paper for what seemed like the hundredth time since Harry had gotten back to Privet Drive.  
  
"Nonsense!" Aunt Petunia argued with him. "No one would hire him!"  
  
His aunt and uncle regularly referred to him as though he was not there, or worse, like he carried some contagious disease that they were frightened of catching. Harry knew this argument well, it had come up several times over the summer.  
  
"He's old enough to bring in some money! He costs too much as it is!" Uncle Vernon looked at Harry with beady little eyes. Uncle Vernon was a very large man with hardly any neck and a very large mustache.  
  
"Who would hire him looking like that?" Aunt Petunia shot back. She glared at him as if he were a speck of dirt on her clean kitchen floor. She was a very thin, horse-boned woman with twice the usual amount of neck, which she used for spying on the boring, law-abiding neighbors. She hated dirt, and her house was always spotless. The state of Harry's hair was a constant annoyance to both his aunt and uncle. He couldn't help it, no matter how much he tried to make his hair lie flat, it always stuck up. It simply grew that way - all over the place.  
  
"Well, if he can't get a job, we can get some work out of him anyway," Uncle Vernon declared, looking at Harry beadily.  
  
And give him work, they did. Harry was busy spreading manure over the flowerbeds, washing the car, and cutting the grass. After he was through with that, Aunt Petunia sent him back outside with orders to trim the hedge. When that was done, he was sent outside a third time with orders to repaint the house (which took most of the week). He couldn't wait for a chance to escape this place.  
  
His chance came at the end of the week. Ron's owl, Pig, returned on Friday with a letter for Harry.  
  
Harry, Dumbledore said it's ok! Ask the Muggles if you can come on Monday. We'll be by at six o'clock to pick you up. Mum's attached a letter for the Muggles.  
  
Harry remembered last year when Mrs. Weasley had sent a letter to his aunt and uncle through the Muggle post. Owls were common as post for wizards, but the Muggle post was quite foreign to the Weasleys. Mrs. Weasley had covered the entire surface of the envelope with stamps except a square inch in the middle where she had managed to squeeze in the Dursleys' address. Uncle Vernon had not been happy. The Dursleys didn't approve of anything unusual that would connect people like the Weasleys with them, however distantly.  
  
We'll be picking you up the same way as last year. Send a letter back with Pig. I'll see you Monday! Ron  
  
Harry didn't know which emotion to feel. He couldn't wait to go to Ron's. The Weasleys were Harry's favorite family. But he couldn't help but remember what had happened last year when they came to pick him up for the Quidditch World Cup. Mr. Weasley works for the Ministry of Magic, and had gotten the Dursleys' fireplace hooked up to the Floo Network for the afternoon. (Floo powder was a way that underage wizards can travel.) But the fireplace was blocked, and Mr. Weasley had to blast apart half of the fireplace to get to Harry. That memory was enough to make the Dursleys think twice about letting Harry go.  
  
But the one thing that would probably weigh the most in the decision was a prank that Fred and George, Ron's twin older brothers had played. Fred and George had been inventing things all summer, and had wanted someone to try them out on. One happened to be a candy called "Ton Tongue Toffee." Fred had "accidentally" dropped them, and Dudley managed to eat one. His tongue had grown to nearly four feet before the Dursleys had let Mr. Weasley shrink it. They hadn't appreciated that much.  
  
But Harry resolved to ask anyway. He took the second letter that Ron had sent and took it downstairs to his uncle, who had just come home from work.  
  
"What's this?" he asked.  
  
"It's a letter for you," Harry answered.  
  
"A letter? From who?"  
  
"Mrs. Weasley. You remember her, right?"  
  
Uncle Vernon's face purpled in angered. He remembered alright. He hadn't forgotten what happened last year, either. "And how will they be coming to get you this year? I hope it's better than what they did last year!"  
  
"Well, read the letter, maybe it will tell you." Harry replied evenly.  
  
Uncle Vernon's eyes narrowed. "I don't like your tone boy. You had better watch it unless you want to spend the rest of the summer in your room." Harry kept silent. Uncle Vernon pursed his lips, but opened the letter instead of pouncing on Harry.  
  
Mr. and Mrs. Dursley, I hope this letter gets to you alright. I sent it through owl post this year. We would love to have Harry come and stay with us again this summer. He is always welcome here, and we will see him onto the school train at the end of the summer. We do apologize for last year. We will pick him up the same way on Monday at six o'clock. Molly Weasley  
  
"So, this is what they're doing is it?" Uncle Vernon asked heatedly, advancing on Harry. Harry didn't move. "They're coming back for another round are they?" Harry thought this distinctly unfair, they did apologize for last year, but he held his ground. "So can I go?" he asked.  
  
Harry could see the wheels turn in Uncle Vernon's mind. Letting him go meant that they didn't have to deal with him for another year. However, their last meeting with the Weasleys hadn't been a good one, and Harry could see in his face that he wasn't anxious to repeat the experience. Harry could see that it was time to play his only card.  
  
"Well, can I? I've got to finish a letter to Sirius, you know, my godfather." It had worked last year, it was worth trying again. It worked this time as well. Uncle Vernon's face went very white. "Still writing to him, are you? Alright, you can go with these - Weasleys. But you will pay for any more mishaps, do you hear me? If one thing goes wrong, you will be locked in the cupboard under the stairs from now until eternity."  
  
Harry heard, but didn't pay any attention. He knew all he had to do was to mention Sirius enough and they would let him get on with it. They knew that Sirius was Harry's godfather - and that his extended absence from Harry's life was because Sirius had been in Azkaban, the wizard prison. He was a convicted murderer - but Harry conveniently forgot to tell the Dursleys that he had been innocent.  
  
"Alright, thanks," he replied. "Nothing will happen this time." Uncle Vernon looked as though he didn't believe it. Harry didn't care. He was going, and Uncle Vernon wasn't going to stop him. He bounded back up the stairs to his room, where Pig was flitting around, hooting incessantly.  
  
"Alright, alright," Harry said. He grabbed a spare piece of parchment from the desk and scribbled a note to Ron.  
  
Ron, The Dursleys say it's ok. See you on Monday. Harry  
  
"Come here," he said, snatching the tiny owl from the air. "Hold still." Pig hooted happily from between his fingers. He quickly attached the note to the owl, and let him go outside of the window. He watched him fly out of sight, and then turned around to his desk to write a note to Sirius.  
  
Sirius, I'll be at Ron's again for the rest of the summer. I hope you're well. Say hi to Professor Lupin and Buckbeak for me. Harry  
  
Buckbeak was a hippogriff that Harry had helped escape to help Sirius escape in his third year. He took the letter over to Hedwig's cage, where he had to poke her awake. "Can you deliver this for me? I'll be at Ron's when you're done," he said, stroking her as he carried her over to the window. He watched her fly out of sight, and then turned back to finish his housework.  
  
The next two days passed without event. Dudley apparently still remembered the Ton Tongue Toffee, because he shot Harry nervous glances every few minutes when he saw him. Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia didn't speak to him at all.  
  
Monday morning, Harry had packed up all of his books, his cauldron, his broomstick, his clothes and his birthday presents into his trunk, and had Hedwig's cage on top by noon. All he had to do now was wait. Around 5:30, he began to take all of his things downstairs. He made sure that his wand was tucked safely into his pocket. It was of no use to him in the Muggle world, but he always kept it on him in the wizarding world. Having lost it once at the World Cup last year, he made extra sure that he had it so that he wasn't vulnerable to anything.  
  
The Dursleys refused to be present. Dudley had locked himself into his room. Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia had gone into the kitchen and refused to come out. Harry was secretly relieved. He didn't want another scene like last year's. Harry moved the electric fire from in front of the fireplace, which hadn't been boarded up since last year when Mr. Weasley had to blow apart most of the fireplace to get into the room.  
  
Shortly after 6, a fire appeared in the fireplace. Soon afterwards, Mr. Weasley appeared, followed in short succession by Ron, George and Fred.  
  
"Hello Harry" Mr. Weasley said. He looked around. "Where are your aunt and uncle?"  
  
"Er - they're in the kitchen." Harry answered. "They didn't want to be here."  
  
"I see." Mr. Weasley said.  
  
"Hiya Harry!" Fred called from the fireplace.  
  
"This all of your stuff?" asked George.  
  
"Yeah that's it." Harry answered.  
  
It took them all less than five minutes to get all of Harry's things arranged in the fireplace. "Alright, all of you can take the Floo powder back, and I'll Apparate back after Harry goes. Fred, you go first." Fred went back with the trunk. "The Burrow!" he cried, and soon whirled out of sight. "Alright George, you next." Mr. Weasley said. George stepped into the fire with Hedwig's cage underneath his arm. "The Burrow!" he said, and he too was gone.  
  
"You ready?" Ron asked. Harry looked around the room once and nodded.  
  
"Let's get out of here."  
  
Ron climbed into the fireplace and said "The Burrow!" and disappeared. Harry smiled, knowing what awaited him on the other end, and said, "The Burrow!" He began to spin around, faster and faster in a whirl of green flames, and soon the Dursleys' living room disappeared from view. After a few seconds he slowed down, and soon came crashing into the Weasleys' fireplace. He climbed out of the fireplace into a room full of smiling red-haired people.  
  
"Welcome back," said Ron. 


	3. The Burrow

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix Chapter 3  
  
Harry looked around the room. It looked just the same as when he left last August. A short, plump woman rushed up and gave Harry a hug. "Welcome back dear," Mrs. Weasley said. "Thanks," Harry answered. Then he broke out into a wide grin. "It's like being home." Everyone laughed. Harry looked to see who was there. Mr. Weasley had arrived just before Harry did. Evidently Apparition is slightly faster than Floo powder. There was Ron, leaning up against the kitchen counter. Ginny, Ron's younger sister, was sitting at the kitchen table blushing furiously. Ginny had been very taken with Harry ever since his first visit to the Burrow. The twins, Fred and George, had just come back down the stairs from carrying Harry's luggage to Ron's room. All of them had flaming red hair.  
  
"Where's Percy?" Harry asked. Percy was Ron's older brother, and had left Hogwarts two years earlier. Ron rolled his eyes. "He's at work," Mrs. Weasley answered, looking worried. "It's been a tough month at the Ministry," Mr. Weasley added. "Percy's been working quite a bit lately."  
  
"And he's being as impossible as ever," Ron mumbled in Harry's ear. Harry smiled, remembering Percy's cauldron-bottom reports of last year.  
  
"Hey, lemme show you something," Ron said, straightening up.  
  
"Alright," Harry said, and they trotted off up the stairs to Ron's room.  
  
Ron's room was exactly the same as it had been last year. The entire room glowed orange. Every inch of the shabby wallpaper was covered with posters of the same seven witches and wizards - Ron's Quidditch team, the Chudley Cannons. Ron reached under the edge of the bed, around a stack of "The Adventures of Martin Miggs, the Mad Muggle" comic books and pulled out a small piece of paper. "Look at this," he said, giving the paper to Harry.  
  
It looked as though it had been torn out of the Daily Prophet. It was an advertisement for a pawn shop in Diagon Alley. It advertised various things - old cauldrons, broomsticks and Quidditch supplies, books and musical instruments. Harry looked up at Ron, confused. "What's this for?" he asked. Ron straightened up proudly and declared, "I'm going to be getting a broomstick. A good one, not that old thing I have to practice on here. I've been going to work with Dad a lot and running papers back and forth, earning extra pocket money. When we go to Diagon Alley in a few weeks, I'm going to go here and see if I can find a broomstick."  
  
"So you're going to try out for the Gryffindor team?" Harry asked.  
  
"Yeah," Ron answered. "I was going to try out last year, except that we didn't have Quidditch last year. And now that both Angelina Johnson and Oliver Wood had gone, I figured that would increase my chances of making the team." Oliver had left Hogwarts two years ago, and Angelina finished her last year in June.  
  
"That'd be awesome!" Harry said. "Do you want to be a Chaser or a Keeper?"  
  
Ron thought for a moment. "I've always liked Chaser, but I think I'd be a better Keeper. Who knows, I may try for both."  
  
They continued to talk Quidditch until Ginny came upstairs to announce that dinner was ready. The three of them trouped downstairs to the kitchen, where the rest of the family was already gathered around the table. They sat down and began to eat to a spirited discussion on this year's World Cup.  
  
"Kazakhstan is much better than Liberia," Fred said thickly through a mouthful of potatoes.  
  
"No way," George shot back. "The only way Kazakhstan got past Egypt was that Polaski got creamed by Abdul."  
  
Harry was hungry for wizarding news, since he got so little of it at the Dursleys, so he listened rather than talked as he ate.  
  
"It doesn't matter which one's better," put in Mr. Weasley. "Whichever one wins has to get past Bulgaria to get to the World Cup anyway." Harry glanced across the table to Ron, who squirmed slightly, but didn't say anything.  
  
"Yeah, Krum's even better than he was last year!" piped Ginny. Ron was definitely squirming now.  
  
"I still think he shouldn't have grabbed the Snitch when he did at last year's World Cup. They might have won," George said. "Ireland was too good. There was no way Bulgaria could have caught up with them." Fred argued. So the argument continued about last year's Cup and who might appear in this year's.  
  
Ron, however, wasn't participating in the discussion. He leaned across the table to Harry and asked, "So, do you think that Hermione was in Bulgaria to see Krum?" Harry couldn't help but notice that Ron's ears were red, the way they always were when he was under pressure, but didn't say anything about it. But what he did say was, "I don't know. She didn't tell me. But she did tell me that she was made prefect." Harry wasn't sure whether or not Ron had heard this yet, but waited anxiously for his reply.  
  
"Yeah, she told me. Do you think things will change any?" he asked.  
  
Harry shrugged. "It's hard to say. I don't think she'll act any differently around us, if that's what you mean."  
  
"I don't think we'll be doing much more sneaking around the school," Ron said glumly.  
  
"We still can," Harry said with a grin. "We just can't get caught."  
  
Ron grinned as well. "The invisibility cloak!" he whispered.  
  
"That's right," Harry replied. "But hopefully we won't have much reason to be sneaking around this year," he added halfheartedly. He could tell by the look in Ron's face that he understood what he meant. "No more trouble you mean?" he asked. "Yeah," Harry said.  
  
Just then Percy strolled pompously into the room. "Just got in from work," he declared loudly. "Wow, I'm starving. Mum, what do you have to eat?"  
  
Ron rolled his eyes. Harry knew the feeling. Just then Percy spotted Harry and came over and to Ron's dismay, sat right beside them. "Hello Harry," Percy said in very superior tone of voice. "Splendid it is to see you again." It was all Harry could do to keep from laughing out loud. "So, er - how is work?" Harry asked, trying to be polite. "Awful. Things are such a mess. This whole thing with He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named takes a lot of work to be kept out of the papers. It would be a nightmare. All of Britain would be in a panic." Harry looked at Ron, who looked nervously back.  
  
"Now Percy, there's no need for that," Mrs. Weasley scolded as she brought him some more roast beef. "He doesn't need to hear all that in his first day here." Harry flushed. "It's alright Mrs. Weasley. I'd rather know what's going on," he said. It bothered him how everyone thought that he should be protected. "So what has been going on?" he asked.  
  
"There's been nearly a dozen Muggles that are missing, a wizard in Kent dead, and scores of other rumors flying about." Percy said in maddening superiority.  
  
To Harry's surprise, Mr. Weasley laughed. "None of that has been confirmed Perce. There are only three Muggles missing, and the old wizard in Kent simply died of old age," he said. "However, the three missing Muggles isn't a laughing matter," he said seriously.  
  
"Who were they?" Harry asked.  
  
"No one knows exactly. There was one in northern Scotland that apparently just disappeared from his farm on morning. Another didn't appear at work one day, but his wife insists that he left for work that morning. The third appeared to just be a homeless old beggar in London, although we really don't know much about any of them. Of course the Ministry doesn't usually become concerned with Muggles, but Dumbledore insists that we keep up with the Muggle news anyway," he explained.  
  
"It's been keeping us all busy trying to keep meddlers out of the Ministry business ever since Dumbledore told everyone that Voldemort is loose," Percy said. "It was most unwise of him to tell everyone at Hogwarts. We've been trying to quash rumors since June." This spurred another debate at the dinner table.  
  
"It puts us all on alert," Mrs. Weasley said. "Thank heavens that he did tell everyone."  
  
"But some of those students were too young to deal with it!" Percy said heatedly.  
  
"They need to know!" Mr. Weasley said. "Reality is much less harsh if we have been told the truth from the beginning!"  
  
Ron looked at Harry. "Do you want to go upstairs?" He jerked his head down the table. "We can leave this to them. They've been arguing over this all summer."  
  
"Sure," Harry said, and they both rose and went upstairs.  
  
Fred and George had already gone upstairs, and were in their room with the door closed. As they passed the door Harry turned to Ron. "Have Fred and George done anything else with the Weasley Wizarding Wheezes?" he asked.  
  
"No idea," Ron said truthfully. "Mum doesn't like them to keep their things lying around, so I haven't seen if they've done anything. I keep hearing things from their room, but that's not unusual."  
  
They had reached Ron's room when suddenly Ron smacked himself on the forehead. "How could I have been so stupid?" he said, apparently exasperated at himself. He turned to Harry and grinned sheepishly. "Here's your birthday present," he said, unearthing an enormous box from under his bed. "I forgot to give it to you earlier."  
  
Harry opened the box. Inside was an enormous book that must have weighed about eight kilograms. The cover was black and had a picture of a Snitch on it with the words "World Quidditch" across the top. "It's a book of all of the Quidditch clubs in the world," Ron said excitedly. "I found it in the pawn shop I told you about earlier." Harry opened the book and flipped though it quickly. He stopped on a page in the center of the book and watched several wizards in green toss a red ball back and forth. From the caption under the picture, these wizards were from the Japanese club Kenobi. Harry looked up at Ron, who shifted nervously. Harry grinned widely. "I love it," he said. Ron grinned back, and they launched into another discussion about Quidditch.  
  
They spent most of the week playing Quidditch in the clearing behind the house. There was a small paddock surrounded by trees that was hidden from the village below, as long as they didn't fly too high. Harry and Ron took turns practicing moves on the Firebolt. Ron's old Shooting Star was often outstripped by passing butterflies. It was good to work with a "real broom" as Ron called it. Harry tried his hand at Chaser so that Ron could get some practice at Keeper. He managed to block everything that Harry threw at him, but that could have been because Harry wasn't exactly a great Chaser. They had asked Fred and George to join them once, but they had declined, claiming that they had work to do.  
  
Harry and Ron also spent a fair amount of time talking about what might have happened since they left Hogwarts over a month ago.  
  
"Have you heard from Hagrid?" Ron asked.  
  
"I got some things from him for my birthday, but he didn't say anything about what Dumbledore asked him to do," Harry replied.  
  
"I bet that he asked him and Madame Maxine to go to the giants," Ron said thoughtfully. Harry couldn't help but agree with him. Who better to send as envoys to giants than a pair of half-giants?  
  
"And you said that you got a card from Fleur?" Ron asked, reddening slightly. "And Krum?"  
  
"Yeah"  
  
"And what did they say?"  
  
Harry sighed. They'd had this discussion no less than three times since he'd arrived.  
  
"All Krum's said was that we should keep in contact and Happy Birthday. Nothing else. Nothing about Hermione," Harry added quickly, seeing the question in Ron's eyes. Ron's ears turned red.  
  
"Well, what did Fleur say?"  
  
"She said that she's going to be at Hogwarts in the fall. But she didn't say what she'd be doing."  
  
"Do you think she'll be our new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher?" Ron asked. They hadn't had a Defense Against the Dark Arts Teacher that lasted for more than three terms.  
  
"I don't know. Maybe. As long as Snape doesn't get it. I don't think I could take it if he got it."  
  
Ron nodded vigorously. "He's unbearable enough in Potions. Do you remember when he taught once for Lupin?"  
  
Harry did remember. Professor Snape had lots of points from Gryffindor and insulted Professor Lupin as well as every student in the class before the period was over. It seemed too much to hope that Snape wouldn't get the job five years in a row. But that brought another thought to Harry's mind.  
  
"What do you reckon Dumbledore wanted Snape to do?" Harry asked Ron.  
  
Ron looked thoughtful.  
  
"Snape was a Death Eater once."  
  
"Then he turned spy for us," Harry said. "Do you think that he sent Snape back to Voldemort to pretend that he'd never been fully on our side?"  
  
"Maybe he did. But how do we know that he's really on our side?" Ron asked. Harry often wondered the same thing. Professor Snape not only hated Harry, but had hated Harry's father, James, as well as Sirius. 'How could he be on our side when he hates so many of us?' Harry thought. They both sank into a thoughtful silence.  
  
Minutes lapsed, and then there was a tapping on the window. They both looked up. "Hedwig!" Harry exclaimed. Ron rushed over to the window and pulled it open. Hedwig floated down and landed on Harry's knee. Harry took the letter that she was carrying and slit it open. He read it out loud for Ron.  
  
Harry, I'm back at Lupin's now. He insists that you are no longer his student, so you should call him Remus now. I've been visiting some old friends. I know you'll be going to Diagon Alley soon for your books. Don't leave the Weasleys, and don't go off on your own, even at the Weasleys'. You and Ron should stay in sight of the house at all times. Swear to me that you won't leave the Weasleys at any point in time. I've heard strange rumors, and I want you to stay as far away from trouble as possible. Say hello to Ron for me. Sirius  
  
Harry looked up at Ron. Now he was thoroughly irritated. "All of these people telling me to be careful. Do they really think I'm some kind of idiot?"  
  
Ron looked really worried. "Harry, they care about you. If Sirius tells you to do something like that after all he did at Hogwarts, then you really should listen to him."  
  
Harry gave Ron a searching look. "Does that mean that you're going to stay in sight of the house at all time?" he asked pointedly, knowing what the answer would be.  
  
Ron blushed and looked down. "No," he said. "But I think Quidditch is still allowed," he added, glancing up with a devilish look so reminiscent of the twins, Harry was somewhat surprised. But then he smiled. "He wouldn't want us to miss training time, would he? Got a parchment handy?" Ron rummaged through a drawer and pulled out a bit of parchment and a quill. Harry jotted down a quick reply.  
  
Sirius, I promise that I'll stay with the Weasleys. We will be going to Diagon Alley in two weeks. We're supposed to meet Hermione there. When will I get to see you again? Say hello to Remus and Buckbeak for me. Harry  
  
Harry folded up the parchment and took it to Hedwig. "Do you think you can take this back to Sirius?" he asked, stroking her back. She hooted softly and nipped his finger in an affectionate way in reply. He tied the note to her leg and took her back to the window. Then he and Ron watched as she flew out of sight. 


End file.
